The year is 1992 A.D. In order to counter the threat posed to the planet's survival by Godzilla, Japan's Counter G Bureau recruited the world's most brilliant scientific brains to build a fighting machine. The first machine was called "Garuda." But its fighting capabilities were limited. A far more powerful machine was required. They salvaged a robot from the future, Mecha-King Ghidorah, in order to study its advanced technology. They applied technology of numerous anti-personnel weapons and created the mightiest machine to attack Godzilla, called Mechagodzilla.

Like its Showa counterpart, this Mechagodzilla was constructed specifically to destroy Godzilla, however this time it was built by the human military organization G-Force in order to defend Japan from Godzilla. Constructed using components salvaged from Mecha-King Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla was launched into battle against Godzilla when he came ashore in Japan searching for BabyGodzilla. Mechagodzilla failed to halt Godzilla and was badly damaged in the battle, leading G-Force to begin numerous repairs and modifications on the mech. Mechagodzilla was outfitted with a specialized anti-Godzilla system dubbed G-Crusher, and was given the ability to attach to the aircraft Garuda. The repaired Mechagodzilla was deployed to battle Fire Rodan, who stole a container holding BabyGodzilla and his surrogate mother. Mechagodzilla defeated Rodan, and began a second battle with Godzilla once he came ashore as well. Mechagodzilla nearly killed Godzilla, but Rodan sacrificed himself to revive Godzilla, giving him the power needed to destroy Mechagodzilla. Despite Mechagodzilla's failure, G-Force would build another anti-Godzilla mech, MOGUERA, the following year in Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla.

Name

The name "Mechagodzilla" comes from "mecha," which is derived from the word "mechanical," and Godzilla's name. When combined with the Garuda, it is known as Super Mechagodzilla (スーパーメカゴジラ, Sūpā Mekagojira). Mechagodzilla's official designation by G-Force is UX-02-93.

Development

The concept of introducing a human-built mecha to battle Godzilla actually originated with special effects director Koichi Kawakita's idea to pit Godzilla against a redesigned Mechani-Kong, which was one of his favorite kaiju. Kawakita's idea also featured Mechani-Kong injecting a team of humans inside Godzilla's body in order to fight him from within, a story element he said was inspired by the classic 1966 science fiction film Fantastic Voyage.[4] The first story utilizing Kawakita's idea was entitled Micro Super Battle: Godzilla vs. Gigamoth, and featured Godzilla invading the United States, with the U.S. military constructing Mechani-Kong to fight him. Mechani-Kong would inject a team of humans into Godzilla's body to fight him from the inside while the mecha fought him from the outside. However, radiation leaking from Mechani-Kong was to spawn a mutant monster called Gigamoth C Type, which would enter the fray as well. While Gigamoth was ultimately reworked into the new monster Battra featured in 1992's Godzilla vs. Mothra, the Mechani-Kong concept was recycled for other story proposals. In Godzilla's Counterattack, Mechani-Kong was instead constructed by the JSDF, and fought Godzilla after a terrorist group triggered an unstable nuclear reaction in the monster's body, turning him into the rampaging Red Godzilla. This story again included the idea of Mechani-Kong injecting a team of humans into Godzilla as the mech battled him from the outside. Two more story proposals, Godzilla vs. Mechani-Kong and Micro Universe in Godzilla, further developed this concept before Toho abandoned its plans to feature Mechani-Kong in a film, due to concerns that utilizing the likeness of King Kong would present legal difficulties with Turner Entertainment.[5]

Although the various projects featuring Mechani-Kong were discarded in favor of Godzilla vs. Mothra, a mecha would still be featured as Godzilla's enemy in the following film. Because the revivals of King Ghidorah in 1991 and Mothra in 1992 had proven so successful, Toho decided to bring back their last two "Big Five" monsters, Mechagodzilla and Rodan, for the next entry in the Heisei series. The first story proposal for what would ultimately lead to Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II was a 14-page draft submitted by Yutaka Izubuchi, entitled Godzilla vs. Berserk, which attempted to both retain and update Mechagodzilla's extraterrestrial origin from the Showa series. In it, Mechagodzilla originates as a metallic alien organism which arrives on Earth within a meteorite. The organism grows by assimilating machinery into itself, becoming a grotesque mechanical monstrosity dubbed "Berserk." Upon determining that Godzilla is the dominant lifeform on Earth, Berserk configures itself into a mechanical duplicate of the King of the Monsters and attempts to defeat him so that it can conquer the Earth. The Teiyo Group, headed by the son of the character Yasuaki Shindo from Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, constructs the Super X3 in cooperation with the JSDF to defeat both Godzilla and the alien Mechagodzilla. Izubuchi, an anime designer, included concept sketches of both Berserk's initial form and its Mechagodzilla form, but the concept was never developed any further outside of Mechagodzilla becoming Godzilla's primary enemy in the next film.[5][6]

At least one subsequent proposal for the tentatively-titled Godzilla 5 recycled Kawakita's Fantastic Voyage-inspired plot point of a team of humans being injected into Godzilla's body to destroy him from the inside. In place of Mechani-Kong, a human-built Mechagodzilla was to battle Godzilla from the outside while the humans infiltrated the monster's body.[4] According to Kawakita, this story was titled Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla: Metallic Battle.[5] Monster designer Shinji Nishikawa stated in a 1995 interview that he wrote one script for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II that was inspired by Fantastic Voyage and featured the humans inside Godzilla setting off a nuclear reaction that causes him to explode. However, BabyGodzilla absorbs the released radiation and grows into an adult Godzilla, then defeats Mechagodzilla himself. According to Nishikawa, this draft also included the plot point of Mecha-King Ghidorah's technology being used to create anti-Godzilla weaponry, something utilized in the finished film as part of Mechagodzilla's origin.[7] It is unclear whether the draft Nishikawa was referencing is Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla: Metallic Battle, or just another draft using Kawakita's Fantastic Voyage idea. No concept art relating to this version of the story has been released. While the Fantastic Voyage-inspired story was dropped, it introduced several elements that would be used in the finished film, most notably Mechagodzilla being a human-built weapon rather than extraterrestrial in origin.

Screenwriter Wataru Mimura wrote a series of drafts for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II that ultimately shaped the final product. Utilizing the concept of a human-built Mechagodzilla, Mimura's drafts included a version of Mechagodzilla composed of seven individual vehicles that could combine together and divide.[8] This version of Mechagodzilla, dubbed "Transforming Mechagodzilla," is accompanied by the flying machine Garuda, which operates independently of the seven Mechagodzilla vehicles. Mechagodzilla initially battles a pair of Rodans on Adonoa Island, killing the male and sending its mate crashing into the ocean. After being forced to retreat following a first battle with Godzilla, Mechagodzilla is redeployed when the female Rodan is revived as White Rodan after feeding on a nuclear submarine. Mechagodzilla kills White Rodan, but Godzilla returns for a final battle. While Mechagodzilla successfully kills Godzilla with its G-Crusher weapon, Garuda's unstable nuclear reactor explodes and the radiation released revives Godzilla, who promptly destroys all seven vehicles composing Mechagodzilla. Mimura was urged by producer Shogo Tomiyama to include an ending where Godzilla defeats Mechagodzilla, seemingly repackaging the scene in Nishikawa's draft where Garuda explodes and transforms Baby into an adult Godzilla.[9] Kawakita, worrying that seven individual vehicles would be too difficult to realize onscreen, reduced the number of vehicles to two: a tank called the Gundalva and a watercraft called the Naga. Additionally, the aerial Garuda would be able to attach itself to Transforming Mechagodzilla's back. The revised draft kept Mechagodzilla's role mostly unchanged, although the Gundalva was to battle two Pteranodons on Adonoa Island rather than the combined Mechagodzilla taking on a male and female Rodan. When the female Pteranodon mutates into White Rodan, Transforming Mechagodzilla fights and kills it, then kills Godzilla before Garuda's explosion revives him. The revitalized Godzilla then destroys Mechagodzilla as it tries to separate and escape. Shinji Nishikawa prepared a great deal of concept art for Transforming Mechagodzilla, both the seven-vehicle version and the revised two-vehicle version. Noriyoshi Ohrai used Nishikawa's Transforming Mechagodzilla design along with his female Rodan design on his advance poster for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, although neither design would make it into the finished film.[5] In addition to Nishikawa, both Minoru Yoshida and "Hurricane" Ryu Hariken prepared concept art of Transforming Mechagodzilla.

While no final design for Transforming Mechagodzilla was chosen, many of the proposed designs attempted to emulate the square, angular appearance of the Showa Mechagodzilla. Kawakita requested Katsushi Murakami of Bandai to create a new design for the mecha, which opted for a futuristic curved and shiny silver design in place of the gritty angular Transforming Mechagodzilla designs. Most importantly, it lacked the transformation gimmick of the other designs.[5] Kawakita was pleased with Murakami's take, and Minoru Yoshida developed it further into a final design.[8][5] Due to budget constraints and the daunting technical challenges of realizing Transforming Mechagodzilla, the transformation aspect was dropped almost entirely, with only Mechagodzilla's ability to combine with Garuda retained. While Yoshida was primarily responsible for the final design, Nishikawa provided additional concept art that was used for the onscreen design.

A clay model of Mechagodzilla based on Yoshida's final concept art design was sculpted by Shuichi Murakami under the supervision of Kawakita, and was the basis for the suit.[5][8] The filmmakers considered building the suit from individual plates as reflected in the concept art, but abandoned the idea after it was deemed too difficult to implement.[8]Shinichi Wakasa supervised the modeling of the Mechagodzilla suit. Like the Showa Mechagodzilla suit, the new suit was divided into a top and bottom half.[10][8] While many monsters by this point had both close-up and "action" suits created, only one Mechagodzilla suit was built. The suit was constructed from very thin fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP), resulting in it being very light despite its heavy, armored appearance. For scenes of Mechagodzilla docked at G-Force headquarters undergoing construction and repairs, the suit was surrounded by neon tubes which discharged sparks.[8] Because the suit took a great deal of time and effort to be repaired, the filmmakers avoided filming scenes involving intense physical combat with the suit so that it would not get scratched.[8][11] This translated onscreen to Mechagodzilla's reliance on ranged combat and aversion to close-quarters physical combat. Mechagodzilla was portrayed by Wataru Fukuda, who had previously played the Godzillasaurus in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah and would go on to play MOGUERA in the following film. A smaller prop was created to depict Mechagodzilla in flight.

The upper half of the Mechagodzilla suit is attached to the lower half, with suit actor Wataru Fukuda inside.

Mechagodzilla's dock under construction

The Mechagodzilla suit's head accidentally comes off during filming of a fight scene with Godzilla.

The Mechagodzilla flying prop

During production of Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, Toho considered having a rebuilt Mechagodzilla appear in the film to assist Godzilla against SpaceGodzilla. However, Koichi Kawakita insisted on including an updated version of Moguera from The Mysterians, which was one of his all-time favorite monsters. Kawakita eventually won out, and MOGUERA appeared in the film in place of Mechagodzilla, by extension making the Heisei incarnation the only version of Mechagodzilla to appear in only one film.

While the Transforming Mechagodzilla concept was not used onscreen, its premise of splitting into two vehicles was reused for MOGUERA in the following film, Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla. Due to its appearance on the advance poster for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, Transforming Mechagodzilla maintained a deal of notoriety and interest, which eventually led to the release of an S.H. MonsterArts figure based on the design in 2017, under the name "Mechagodzilla (Ohrai Noriyoshi Poster Ver.)." Shinji Nishikawa supervised production of this figure and even contributed new concept art for its development. Jared Krichevsky's Mechagodzilla design featured in the 2018film adaptation of Ready Player One was also based on Transforming Mechagodzilla, per Toho's insistence.

Design

Mechagodzilla is based on the appearance of Godzilla himself, but is mechanical in nature. Mechagodzilla's body is composed of a shiny silver metal, and its eyes are orange in color. Mechagodzilla possesses defined musculature on its chest, abdomen, arms and legs. There is a series of vents located on the front of its neck, and its head is topped with a curved spike. Mechagodzilla's dorsal plates are noticeably different from Godzilla's, being short and square-shaped, though there are still three rows of them. Mechagodzilla's tail is also shorter than Godzilla's, and does not reach the ground.

As Super Mechagodzilla, the machine's appearance remains the same save for the presence of Garuda attached to its back.

History

In 1992, the United Nations formed the United Nations Godzilla Countermeasures Center, a special branch dedicated to combating the threat posed by Godzilla. The U.N.G.C.C.'s military branch, G-Force, began construction on an anti-Godzilla machine known as Garuda. However, G-Force concluded that the Garuda's combat capabilities were too limited to be effective against Godzilla. Using Futurian technology salvaged from Mecha-King Ghidorah's central head, G-Force began construction of a much more advanced machine built in Godzilla's own image. The machine, Mechagodzilla, was finally completed in 1994. The mech would first see action when Godzilla appeared in Japan and began heading to the city of Kyoto. Mechagodzilla was launched and engaged Godzilla in the countryside. Mechagodzilla held the upper hand against its organic counterpart, knocking Godzilla to the ground with its impressive array of lasers and missiles. Mechagodzilla fired its shock anchors into Godzilla, electrocuting him and causing him to foam at the mouth. Suddenly, Godzilla emitted a shockwave of energy that caused the electrical current to be reversed and travel back up Mechagodzilla's shock anchor cables. Mechagodzilla began to short-circuit and was rendered immobile as Godzilla rose back to his feet. Godzilla charged at Mechagodzilla, knocking the machine onto its back, before continuing on to Kyoto.

Mechagodzilla was brought back to G-Force headquarters for repairs, which were expected to take several weeks. After being transferred to parking duty after failing to appear to pilot Mechagodzilla, Kazuma Aoki pulled aside Mechagodzilla's lead engineer, Leo Asimov. Kazuma proposed a plan to modify the Garuda and allow it to be more useful against Godzilla in combat. When Asimov asked what they would do with Mechagodzilla, Kazuma revealed a proposal to combine the Garuda and Mechagodzilla into a single, more powerful machine. Asimov agreed, and both mechs were modified. Meanwhile, G-Force was formulating a new plan to kill Godzilla. They had learned that Godzilla possessed a secondary brain in his hip that controlled lower body function due to BabyGodzilla, an infant Godzillasaurus in G-Force's custody, possessing the same structure. G-Force planned to use BabyGodzilla as bait to lure Godzilla to the Ogasawara Islands, then have Mechagodzilla use its shock anchor cables to destroy Godzilla's second brain and paralyze him, then finally kill him with its arsenal of weapons. Preparations were made, and BabyGodzilla was airlifted to the Ogasawara Islands along with his human surrogate mother, Azusa Gojo. En route, the canister holding them was captured by Fire Rodan, who touched down in Makuhari and tried to break the canister open.

Mechagodzilla was quickly deployed to attack Rodan and save Baby and Azusa. Mechagodzilla arrived and confronted Rodan, who fought back with his newly-acquired uranium heat beam. Aoki arrived in the Garuda shortly after to back up Mechagodzilla, distracting Rodan with its laser beams while Mechagodzilla charged its plasma grenade. Rodan took to the sky and rammed the Garuda, causing it to crash into a building. Mechagodzilla used its plasma grenade to blast Rodan into a skyscraper, then approached him. Rodan sprang back up and used his beak to knock out Mechagodzilla's right eye. Mechagodzilla fired the plasma grenade again, shredding Rodan's chest and sending him flying into a nearby building. With Rodan seemingly dead, Godzilla suddenly appeared from the ocean, roaring and challenging Mechagodzilla to battle once again. Mechagodzilla turned to face Godzilla and fired its mega buster beam at him. Godzilla countered with his atomic breath, causing the beams to lock and explode. Mechagodzilla was disabled by the explosion, allowing Godzilla to charge and attack it up close. Godzilla easily overpowered Mechagodzilla, slamming it onto the ground and stomping on its head. The Garuda regained flight and fired at Godzilla, allowing Mechagodzilla to get back up. The Garuda then flew onto Mechagodzilla's back and combined with it.

Super Mechagodzilla

The Garuda attached itself to Mechagodzilla's back, forming Super Mechagodzilla (スーパーメカゴジラ, Sūpā Mekagojira). More powerful than ever before, Super Mechagodzilla took flight and unleashed its payload of laser beams onto Godzilla, knocking him to the ground. As Godzilla staggered to his feet, Super Mechagodzilla fired paralyzer missiles at Godzilla then launched its shock anchor cables into his hip. Mechagodzilla then began to discharge electricity through the cables, shattering Godzilla's secondary brain and sending him falling headfirst to the ground. With Godzilla paralyzed, it appeared Super Mechagodzilla would be victorious. As Super Mechagodzilla prepared to finish Godzilla, BabyGodzilla broke free of the canister holding him and roared out, getting the attention of the mortally-wounded Rodan. Rodan took flight and flew near Godzilla, prompting Super Mechagodzilla to shoot him down with its mega buster. Rodan fell onto Godzilla, and it appeared the two monsters would die together. However, Rodan began transferring his life force into Godzilla, regenerating his secondary brain and revitalizing him. As Rodan faded away into nothing, Godzilla rose to his feet and roared, giving off huge amounts of heat. The intensity of the heat caused Super Mechagodzilla's synthetic diamond armor plate to melt. Godzilla fired his new spiral red atomic breath at Super Mechagodzilla, staggering it back and causing severe damage. Super Mechagodzilla fired back with its mega buster, engaging in another beam lock. This time, Godzilla's beam overpowered Mechagodzilla's, causing it to fall backward into a building. Godzilla proceeded to fire his spiral beam at Mechagodzilla until the mech's head was blasted off and its entire body erupted in flames. Godzilla roared victoriously and went to find BabyGodzilla. Despite Mechagodzilla's computer claiming that no crew survived its destruction, all of its pilots survived the explosion. Mechagodzilla's pilots looked on from afar as Godzilla and his newly-adopted son waded out to sea together, remarking that life always triumphs over artificial life.

Although Mechagodzilla would not make its formal debut until Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, its first appearance was in Adventure! Godzilland 2, a trivia show made to promote the upcoming film. Mechagodzilla appeared in several live-action segments, where it would give news on the film or be interviewed by Godzilla. Mechagodzilla also appeared in some of the animated segments, where it could be seen interacting with the other kaiju.

Abilities

Mega Buster

Mechagodzilla fires its Mega Buster at Godzilla.

Mechagodzilla can fire a rainbow-colored beam from its mouth known as the Mega Buster (メガ・バスター, Mega Basutā), which is equal in power to Godzilla's atomic breath. The Mega Buster can only be fired for a short period of time before overheating, demonstrated when it overheats and becomes unusable following a 10-second beam lock with Godzilla's atomic breath.

Mechagodzilla's Mega Buster locks with Godzilla's atomic breath.

Laser Cannon

Mechagodzilla fires its Laser Cannons during its first battle with Godzilla

Mechagodzilla can fire two yellow-colored Laser Cannons (レーザーキャノン, Rēzā Kyanon) from its eyes. Mechagodzilla becomes unable to use its right Laser Cannon after Fire Rodan damages it with its beak, although the eye is restored after Mechagodzilla combines with Garuda to form Super Mechagodzilla.

Shock Anchor

Mechagodzilla electrocutes Godzilla with its Shock Anchors.

Mechagodzilla possesses two Shock Anchor (ショックアンカー, Shokku Ankā) harpoons built into its arms, which it can shoot directly into an enemy to release a crippling electrical charge. The Shock Anchors were effective against Godzilla in the monsters' first battle, electrocuting Godzilla to the point he was foaming at the mouth. However, Godzilla's internal radiation somehow allowed him to reverse the flow of electricity back into Mechagodzilla, which set Mechagodzilla's engine on fire and disabled the mech. When Mechagodzilla was repaired, the Shock Anchors were upgraded and converted into the more powerful G-Crusher system.

G-Crusher

Super Mechagodzilla destroys Godzilla's second brain using the G-Crusher.

The G-Crusher (Ｇクラッシャー, Jī Kurasshā) is an advanced version of the Shock Anchor developed to destroy Godzilla's secondary brain and cripple him from the waist down. It releases a powerful electrical discharge into the opponent's body which exceeds the voltage of the Shock Anchor. The G-Crusher required the guidance of the psychic Miki Saegusa in order to pinpoint and target the exact location of Godzilla's secondary brain. The G-Crusher completely destroyed Godzilla's secondary brain and crippled him, and nearly allowed Super Mechagodzilla to kill Godzilla before Fire Rodan intervened.

Paralyzer Missiles

Mechagodzilla fires its Paralyzer Missiles.

Mechagodzilla can fire Paralyzer Missiles (パラライズ・ミサイル, Pararaizu Misairu, lit. Paralyze Missile) from two three-cell rocket launchers on its shoulders. 60 Paralyzer Missiles can be loaded at a single time. These missiles were used to stun Godzilla during the monsters' first battle before Mechagodzilla used its Shock Anchors against Godzilla.

Tranquilizer Missiles

Super Mechagodzilla fires its Tranquilizer Missiles.

In addition to its Paralyzer Missiles, Mechagodzilla can fire Tranquilizer Missiles (トランキライザー・ミサイル, Torankiraizā Misairu) laced with anesthetics and tranquilizers from ports on both of its hips. Super Mechagodzilla used these missiles to stun Godzilla before targeting and attacking his secondary brain with the G-Crusher.

Plasma Grenade

Mechagodzilla blasts Godzilla with its Plasma Grenade.

Mechagodzilla's strongest weapon is the Plasma Grenade (プラズマ・グレネイド, Purazuma Gureneido). Mechagodzilla absorbs Godzilla's atomic breath with the Diamond Coating on its armor and converts it into plasma energy, which is stored and amplified in a port in Mechagodzilla's abdomen before being fired back at a target with even greater force. Because the Plasma Grenade generates a tremendous amount of heat, it cannot be fired continuously and must be treated with an extremely strong coolant. If Mechagodzilla's Diamond Coating melts, it will be unable to absorb plasma from enemy attacks and use the Plasma Grenade. The Plasma Grenade is tremendously powerful, capable of knocking Godzilla down or mortally wounding Fire Rodan in a single blow.

Hover Attack

Super Mechagodzilla commences its Hover Attack.

Mechagodzilla can use its jets to suspend itself in the air and attack enemies with its weapons from a distance in a maneuver known as the Hover Attack (ホバーアタック, Hobā Atakku). This is a very effective attack for Mechagodzilla, as it lacks maneuverability and effective close-range combat abilities. After merging with Garuda and becoming Super Mechagodzilla, Mechagodzilla's flight abilities are improved, and it uses the Hover Attack in conjunction with the G-Crusher.

Diamond Coating

Mechagodzilla is protected by an armor plating made from an alloy called NT-1, which is covered in an artificial Diamond Coating (ダイヤモンド・コーティング, Daiyamondo Kōtingu), the same coating used for the Super X2's Fire Mirror. This Diamond Coating renders Godzilla and Fire Rodan's heat beams completely harmless, and also allows Mechagodzilla to absorb energy from the beams to power its Plasma Grenade. However, extremely high temperatures like those emitted by Godzilla's nuclear pulse after absorbing Fire Rodan's energy, can cause the Diamond Coating to melt, disabling the Plasma Grenade and leaving Mechagodzilla vulnerable to Godzilla's Uranium Heat Ray. However, Mechagodzilla's armor allowed it to take repeated hits from this beam, which reached a temperature of 1.2 million degrees Celsius, before it was finally knocked out of commission.

High Power Maser Beam Cannon

As Super Mechagodzilla, Mechagodzilla can utilize Garuda's High Power Maser Beam Cannons (ハイパワーメーサービームキャノン, Hai Pawā Mēsā Bīmu Kyanon), which are powerful long-range Maser Cannons. Super Mechagodzilla used these beams as part of its Hover Attack during the final battle with Godzilla.

Other

In the Shogakukan manga adaptation of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, Mechagodzilla is capable of launching its arms and a device on its forehead. This ability was witnessed in action when Mechagodzilla attempted to attack Godzilla's secondary brain again after he was instilled with Rodan's energy. In the Godzilla video games developed by Pipeworks and Atari, this Mechagodzilla can fire missiles from his fingers, similar to the Showa Mechagodzilla.

Weaknesses

Mechagodzilla has one major weakness: hand to hand combat. For all its weapons, Mechagodzilla lacks any real ability to fight up close, losing an eye to Rodan when it managed to get in close and proving no match for Godzilla when he got close enough. When Mechagodzilla first used its shock anchors against Godzilla, Godzilla was able to somehow reverse the flow of energy back to Mechagodzilla, causing the machine to short-circuit. Mechagodzilla's armor, while capable of easily absorbing Godzilla's normal atomic breath and Fire Rodan's uranium heat beam, proved no match for the intense heat given off by Godzilla after he absorbed Rodan's energy. This heat caused Mechagodzilla's armor to melt, leaving it defenseless when it was repeatedly struck by Godzilla's Uranium Atomic Heat Ray, which reached 1.2 million degrees Celsius and obliterated Mechagodzilla in a few hits.

Godzilla reverses the flow of energy from Mechagodzilla's shock anchors, causing it to short-circuit.

Godzilla stomps Mechagodzilla into the ground after overpowering it in close combat.

Super Mechagodzilla's Diamond Coating is melted by the intense heat given off by Godzilla.

Mechagodzilla appears in the Japanese version of the game Super Godzilla, where it is controlled by aliens. It was removed from the American version of the game in favor for the more-known Showa Mechagodzilla. This was due to the fact that at the time of the game's release, the new Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla film had not been released on American shores.

Mechagodzilla is featured in the 2002 Atari game, Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee. In this game, Mechagodzilla is more of a composite between the Showa and Heisei versions, possessing the appearance and roar of the Heisei version with the abilities and story role of the Showa version. In the Japanese version of the game, Mechagodzilla is replaced by Kiryu from the then-recent film Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla. For the American Xbox version of the game, Kiryu was added alongside the Heisei Mechagodzilla, who was renamed "Mechagodzilla 2," reflecting its status as the second version of Mechagodzilla.

In the Game Boy Advance video game Godzilla: Domination!, Mechagodzilla has the ability to unleash a flame from its hand in a slow attack with good reach. It also can perform a hydraulic kick, where it unleashes a flame from the jets on its feet for a slow attack with excellent reach. It can also do a claw launch, in which it fires off its fist, which will fly forward and then turn around and return to Mechagodzilla. A devastating attack with the potential to hit twice. Its other video game abilities include the power to fire an electric bolt from its navel area (similar to the plasma grenade), the ability to launch six heat-seeking missiles from compartments located on its back and the ability to create a cooling steam from its chest plates which will slightly heal Mechagodzilla and injure nearby monsters. In the Japanese version of the game, this Mechagodzilla is replaced by Kiryu, the Millennium Mechagodzilla, although the change is only cosmetic.

In Godzilla: Unleashed, Mechagodzilla 2 is partially a clone of Mechagodzilla, though trading one cell of defense for one cell of speed. The only major differences between Mechagodzilla 1 and 2 is the the latter can hover, fire its Plasma Cannon and use its jets to push away opponents like King Ghidorah and Mecha-King Ghidorah use their wings aside from flying. In this game, Mechagodzilla 2 is the only monster who can knock out a health cell with its beam, alongside Mechagodzilla.

"Mechagodzilla 2 was directly inspired by the Vortaak's Mechagodzilla. GDF weapons designers saw that a heavily-armored combatant who blended ranged firepower and heavy melee attacks at the cost of some mobility could be a very effective way to hold back monster attacks on major cities. Although they could not duplicate the space titanium alloy used in the original, the GDF was able to create an armor composite which resisted bite and claw attacks to a miraculous degree - as well as absorbing a significant portion of the heat and radiation weapon attacks used by many of Earth's monsters. This focus on defense before offense proved to be a powerful mixture, and Mechagodzilla 2 remains a staple of the GDF's anti-monster force."

In the PS3 version, Super Mechagodzilla appears as one of the final bosses of the game, initiated when Godzilla enters Area 23 if the G-Generators are not destroyed fast enough. It will attack Godzilla using its shock anchors, beam weapons and melee attacks. It may eventually be joined by the Super X and they will both attack Godzilla. Once they are are defeated, the area will be cleared. In the end cutscene, Super Mechagodzilla is shown flying a frozen Godzilla back into the ocean and sinking with him. This is a reference to Kiryu's behavior in the end of Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.. This only happens if Super Mechagodzilla is encountered in the level, if Kiryu was encountered instead then he will take Super Mechagodzilla's place in the final cutscene. If the generators are destroyed fast enough, Kiryu will appear as the boss and take Super Mechagodzilla's place in the cutscene.

In the PS4 version, Super Mechagodzilla will appear as the stage 8 boss if the player takes the easy or normal routes.

In this manga by Shogakukan, Mechagodzilla appears as the main antagonist. It is noticeably more brutal and more powerful, being able to rip Godzilla's dorsal fins in half with little effort. Mechagodzilla also gains several new abilities, including the ability to fire its arms off on a pair of cables from its shoulders at foes. In the first fight against Godzilla, Mechagodzilla overpowers him, tearing his dorsal fins and blasting his eyes with shots of its Mega Buster Ray. However, Godzilla manages to behead Mechagodzilla, and retreats. It is then explained that Mechagodzilla's brutal abilities are related to a remnant of Mecha-King Ghidorah's programming being present in the mecha's computers. In the subsequent battle, Mechagodzilla uses the G-Crusher on Godzilla, but this fails after Fire Rodan revives him. Mechagodzilla is then soon defeated.

In this manga by Shogakukan, Mechagodzilla is rebuilt by G-Force and deployed after the manga's main protagonist, Akira Yuki, steals MOGUERA from the U.N.G.C.C.. Mechagodzilla enters battle against its successor, but is quickly destroyed.

In Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters, Mechagodzilla is constructed in Detroit as part of a joint Japanese and American military project to combat the giant monster threat. Mechagodzilla nearly defeats Godzilla, but something goes wrong with its programming and it runs wild, much like Kiryu did in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla. Eventually, the massive machine breaks down in the wilderness and is discovered by Steven Woods. Woods takes command of Mechagodzilla and takes it to Washington D.C., where Godzilla is doing battle with King Ghidorah. Mechagodzilla uses its shock anchor cables to shock both monsters into submission, and Woods is praised as a hero for his actions.

In Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths, Mechagodzilla is an old robot that has since been replaced by newer models. When Godzilla and several other giant monsters attack Tokyo, Detective Makato Sato convinces his son, who is a member of G-Force, to pilot the outdated Mechagodzilla into battle against Godzilla. Mechagodzilla does not defeat Godzilla, but is able to distract the creature long enough to save innocent lives and buy Sato time to save the Elias and confront Takahashi.

Mechagodzilla is one of the monsters featured in Godzilla: Legends Issue 4. In this issue, a rookie crew piloting Mechagodzilla is sent to China in pursuit of Godzilla. When they arrive, they find the entire area is totally devastated and enveloped in toxic smog. Mechagodzilla is then attacked by the source of the destruction, Hedorah, the smog monster. Mechagodzilla attempts to attack Hedorah, but all of its attacks seem to be harmlessly absorbed by Hedorah. Suddenly, Godzilla himself arrives and is attacked by Hedorah. Just before Hedorah can seriously harm Godzilla, Mechagodzilla re-enters the battle, forcing the King of the Monsters and his mechanical double to become unlikely allies against the smog monster. After a messy and difficult battle, Godzilla and Mechagodzilla defeat Hedorah and go their separate ways, deciding to resume their conflict another time.

Mechagodzilla appears in Godzilla: The Half-Century War #3. In this issue, Mechagodzilla has been sent by the Anti-Megalosaurus force to Bombay (Mumbai), India to intercept Godzilla. Meanwhile, Ota Murakami and his team have also arrived in Bombay to find the rogue Dr. Deverich and destroy his monster-transmitter. However, the device attracts a new monster from outer space, SpaceGodzilla. With this new threat, Mechagodzilla is forced to work alongside Godzilla against SpaceGodzilla. Mechagodzilla is severely damaged in the battle, but is able to give Godzilla time to blast SpaceGodzilla's crystals up close and destroy him.

Roar

Mechagodzilla's sound is basically a higher-pitched Godzilla roar. Surprisingly enough, its sounds are made from the roars of the original Godzilla, which were also multi-toned and distorted in order to sound more metallic.

In other languages

Language

Name

Meaning

Hindi

महाबली / Mahābalī

name of an Asura from Hindu mythology

Russian

Мехагодзилла

Transliteration of English name

Serbian

Мехагодзила / Mehagodzila

Transliteration of English name

Trivia

The Heisei Mechagodzilla is often referred to as "Mechagodzilla 2" by fans and in some recent media where all three Mechagodzillas exist in the same continuity as different characters, such as the Atari/Pipeworks Godzilla video games. This name comes from the international title of its debut film, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, and the fact that it is the second distinct incarnation of the character, despite being the only Mechagodzilla in the Heisei continuity. The rebuilt Showa Mechagodzilla in Terror of Mechagodzilla is officially labeled "Mechagodzilla 2" by Toho, as seen through its shoulder insignia, which reads "MG2."

The Heisei Mechagodzilla is the tallest of all the Mechagodzillas, standing at 120 meters tall, while the Showa Mechagodzilla and Kiryu are 50 and 60 meters tall, respectively.

In both Godzilla Island and some of the IDW comics, this Mechagodzilla has been an ally of Godzilla, making him the first version of Mechagodzilla to ally with Godzilla in any medium.

This incarnation of Mechagodzilla is among the slowest of the flying kaiju if not the slowest from the Heisei series, flying at a speed of Mach 1 and Mach 2 (when combined with the Garuda to make Super Mechagodzilla) ranking only third place between its Showa and Millennium counterparts.

A deleted scene from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II shows Mechagodzilla perform a taunt by smashing its fists together before taking off. This taunt was later adopted in the Atari/Pipeworks Godzilla games, as this Mechagodzilla utilizes it in both its battle intro and its in-battle taunt move.

Notes

References

This is a list of references for Mechagodzilla/Heisei. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]

Comments

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The name "Mega Buster" for Mega Man's weapon is an invention of the games' localizations, since he is called Rockman in Japan and his weapon is the "Rock Buster." So Mechagodzilla's weapon being Mega Buster in Japanese is actually distinct.

With Super Mechagodzilla, I like him for both weapons and durability. He can deal the pain and take just as much. G-force made SMG beam proof, so Godzilla has to find other ways to effectively fight him. He beat the ever-living heck out of Rodan, and nearly killed the Big G by destroying his 2nd brain. As it states in his weaknesses, he does lack hand-to-hand combat, stopping him from being my personal favorite MG.

People complain about this version of Mechagodzilla, but don't realize everything has to do with the theme of the movie. The theme is Life vs. Artificial Life, life always triumphs, and throughout the film, you start to root for and empathize with Godzilla. Mechagodzilla is supposed to be a cold, emotionless, dull robot for this reason. Since when do robots have emotions or personality, anyway? They don't, they shouldn't, and it fits the theme. It also doesn't fight up close because that is very life-like. When Godzilla fights up close, it kind of gives him more character and personality. When Godzilla chokes Rodan, he is clearly angry, as that is a very vicious attack. Anger is an emotion, and it makes Godzilla life-like. It's like an animal. When they are threatened, they will attack you up-close and viciously, like how Godzilla went up to Mechagodzilla, body slammed it, picked up and threw it, and whacked it with his tail when it attacked him. Mechagodzilla just spams beams because it is artificial, emotionless, and has no character. Just firing weapons is very machine like. Like any machine built today. They don't bother making it fight up-close, they just make it shoot stuff. Do they build big fighting robots? No, they make tanks, jets, and bombs which just bombard the enemy. Beam spamming is not a really life-like way of fighting, but it works because Mechagodzilla is not supposed to be life-like in the film. Its just supposed to be a killing machine. You can not like the incarnation of the character by itself, but do realize that this incarnation's faults are because of the theme of the movie, just like Mothra and King Ghidorah in GMK. They made both of those characters super weak, which I dislike, but its because the director wanted Godzilla to seem like an all powerful God of Destruction, and then it makes sense. I dislike the GMK Ghidorah by itself, but in the context of the movie, it fits the role. Just like here, Mechagodzilla is emotionless because the story is meant to give Godzilla emotions and character, not Mechagodzilla. He fits the role of the villain in the movie and supports the theme of the movie, but is not really a character worth investing in.

I find it interesting that you guys forgive Mothra and Ghidorah's weak and pathetic portrayals in GMK because it fits the way the director wanted to portray Godzilla, but not Mechagodzilla's cold, emotionless portrayal in Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II because it fits the theme of Life vs. Artificial Life and how you're supposed to feel empathy for Godzilla (in fact, I'm willing to bet if they did give Mechagodzilla emotions, you probably would've complained that it didn't fit the theme of the movie). The GMK bias is through the roof in this community, and tbh, I find GMK only a little above average, while Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II is my favorite movie ever. Yes, I like GMK, but come on! Don't trash one movie for the same thing you were willing to forgive in another movie, its inconsistant and hypocritical.

In other words: you're not supposed to be emotionally invested into this Mechagodzilla. The filmmakers never wanted you to be emotionally invested in this Mechagodzilla. It's supposed to be cold and emotionless so you will root for Godzilla, feel empathy for him, and be happy when Godzilla blows it to bits. Stop trying to be emotionally invested in this Mechagodzilla! Its not the theme of the movie, and the filmmakers never intended it. They created it to be cold and emotionless. Its not bad writing, nor are they flaws, its fitting to the theme of the movie. This Mechagodzilla is NOT emotional like Kiryu, and it was never supposed to be, so stop criticizing the incarnation and the movie FOR SOMETHING THAT WAS 100% ON PURPOSE BY THE FILMMAKERS!

For those of you who think that that post means I hate this Mechagodzilla, its quite the contrary. Its my favorite. I love that its a powerhouse, a cold killing machine. That's what Mechagodzilla is supposed to be in my opinion: built to exterminate kaiju, nothing more. I never felt the need to emotionally invest into a robot.

The most real? This one looks like a giant bathtub soap dispenser toy that I could find down in the local shops. The most realistic design, ironically enough, is the two original Showa Mechagodzilla designs.

Super MechaGodzilla did not kill Godzilla. It destroyed Godzilla's second brain, which is the one Godzilla uses to walk up right, not the one that controls all other functions. The destruction of his second brain could have caused Godzilla to momentarily loose consciousness.

if you hate them then get out of here. SpaceGodzilla is cool. the name may be unoriginal but it makes sense. maybe mothra doesnt look like a real moth but we gotta have another cute kaiju other than minnila and Little G.

Good argument, sir. Guess I'll have to leave the entire website because, I mean, there's just no chance that I could ever possibly argue against the flawless argument you've put before me. Darn, and I really liked being here too. Oh, how tragic this calamity is.

Also SpaceGodzilla being cool is just an opinion, and my opinion is that a lame unoriginal DeviantArt OC isn't cool. As for there apparently needing to be a cute kaiju in the movies, well, that's just factually wrong. It's not necessary for there to be any cute characters.

I think Kiryu and Mechagodzilla 2 both look really good. They both have freaking guns on their shoulders, which lets not lie everyone looks dang good. Kiryu has good abilities and looks, but mechagodzilla 2 has amazing music and flight. Kiryu also has the entrance on his side in the final battle of Godzilla against Mechagodzilla. Mechagodzilla 2 has almost killing Godzilla on his side. If Rodan wasn’t there Godzilla would be a dinosaur piece of toast, Jui or would be an orphan other than Asuza as an adoptive mother. Destroyah might’ve battled SpaceGodzilla for dominance over the Earth. Both have their downsides and what their good at.